Malware/Transcript
Transcript Text Reads: The Mysteries of Life with Rita & Moby A laptop is sitting on a desk. On the screen, a computer virus, a Trojan Horse, and a worm are all dancing around. Rita enters the room and her shadow crosses the computer screen. The virus, Trojan Horse, and worm all dash off the screen. RITA: Okay, homework time! Rita presses the power button a few times, but the laptop won't turn on. Moby walks over to Rita's room holding a box of popcorn. RITA: Ooh… that's not good. Moby! Have you been torrenting movies again? Moby hides the box behind his back and shakes his head, still chewing a big mouthful of popcorn. MOBY: Beep. Rita reads from a typed letter. RITA: Dear Rita and Moby, I just got a new laptop and it's awesome. Can you tell me how viruses work so I can keep it safe? Thanks, Alexis. Hey, Alexis. An animation shows a thumb drive plugging into a laptop. A pop-up image shows that a virus is on the drive. RITA: A computer viruses acts a lot like the kind of virus that makes you sick. Its main purpose is to replicate, or copy itself. The virus shows up on the laptop's screen and hops into one of the programs on the device. The program's icon changes to look like the virus, and it sends more little viruses to infect the other programs. Soon, all the programs on the device have turned into viruses. RITA: To do that, it inserts its code into other programs and turns them into cloning factories. Just like how flu viruses take over cells in your body. The laptop's screen goes dark, and the viruses begin to change shape and color. RITA: Computer viruses are constantly evolving. That's why antivirus software needs regular updates to keep your devices safe. Sort of like how the flu vaccine has to change each year. MOBY: Beep. RITA: Viruses are a type of malware, short for malicious software. An animation shows the word malware splitting into its root words: malicious software. RITA: They're programs, just like the games, browsers, and other stuff we run on our devices. Only, malware doesn't make your machine more productive or fun. An animation shows a tablet downloading a virus, which hops out of a cardboard box and waves its tentacles. RITA: Just the opposite: It can slow performance, delete files, take over your computer, or even spy on you! The virus performs each action Rita describes. RITA: Lots of people still say virus to mean any harmful program. But Trojan horses and worms are much more common types of malware. Just like viruses, they're named for how they get into a device. An animation shows a virus waving its tentacles. It is joined by a little Trojan horse and a worm to represent the different types of malware Rita describes. MOBY: Beep. RITA: Trojan horse is a reference to the giant wooden statue from Greek mythology. After 10 years of war, the Greeks presented it as a parting gift to their enemies in Troy. Sort of like a, nice fight, no hard feelings card. But there were soldiers hiding inside, waiting to attack. An animation illustrates the story of the original Trojan horse. A large wooden horse is left outside the walls of Troy and the Trojans wheel it in, unaware of the soldiers inside. MOBY: Beep. RITA: Well, it can be hard to resist something cool when it's right there for the taking. Like a hot new game or a funny picture. That's what makes Trojan horses so effective. They're malware that poses as something you might really want. An animation shows a movie torrenting website that says you can download summer blockbusters for free RITA: But if you make the mistake of clicking, you're opening yourself up to an attack. Moby clicks on one of the movies listed on the torrenting website, and the screen begins to rumble. An angry Trojan horse appears on screen. It breathes smoke, and the screen goes black. MOBY: Beep. RITA: Actually, Trojan horses tend to work behind the scenes. In many cases, you may not even notice them at all. Moby closes out of the torrenting website on his tablet, and a little Trojan horse tiptoes onto the main screen. It is camouflaged against the background of the screen, to illustrate how a Trojan horse can get onto a device without anyone noticing. RITA: That gives them time to access all sorts of sensitive information: Phone numbers, addresses, photos, account numbers. All of the app icons change into little horses to show how Trojan horses can pull sensitive information from anywhere on a device RITA: But computers and phones aren't the only targets. All kinds of household appliances can connect to the Internet. That makes them vulnerable to all kinds of malware, especially worms. An animation of a web with a house at the center. Dotted lines link the house to the many devices that can connect to wireless including phones, clocks, cars, light bulbs, and kitchen appliances. MOBY: Beep. RITA: Worms are stealthy like Trojan horses, often remaining hidden. Like viruses, they focus on creating as many copies of themselves as possible. But they don't need programs or files to replicate. Instead, they look for holes in the security of networks, groups of linked devices. Like say, the wireless network in your home. Once they're in, worms can move all by themselves to any connected device. A little worm inches up to the map and crawls down the house's chimney. Once it has infiltrated the house's wireless network, new worms pop up in all of the devices. MOBY: Beep. RITA: Well, these categories - worm, virus, and Trojan horse - describe how a piece of malware spreads. What they actually do inside your device is called the payload. Some malware locks your machine, or blocks your access to certain files. If it's ransomware, it'll demand a payment to give you access again. A lock and chain appear around the tablet to illustrate how malware can lock a device. RITA: Spyware tracks your movements on the web. Some record the keys you press, including usernames and passwords. Hackers can use that info to steal credit cards or empty out bank accounts. An animation shows a laptop with spyware. The webcam telescopes out and gathers information including Tim's credit card number. RITA: Adware launches all sorts of ads while you're online. Each pop-up message earns money for the hacker who created it. An animation shows a screen filling with popup ads that claim to offer special deals and prizes. MOBY: Beep. RITA: Yup, most malware is part of a scam for profit. Lots of them target email and social networks, swiping your contacts. Or, they use your account to send out spam messages with ads in them. An animation shows a worm crawling around in Rita's contacts, stealing information and sending messages. RITA: That's why it's super important to keep your passwords safe. And if you get any strange texts or emails from a friend… Don't click on anything in them before you find out what's up. An animation shows Moby getting a strange text from Rita with a link to an unfamiliar website. He shows his phone to Rita. MOBY: Beep. RITA: Ugh, you see what you've done?! From now on, follow these rules to keep your devices - and mine - safe. Delete emails or random text messages from unknown senders. Avoid strange websites, especially when they're flagged by your browser. Don’t download any files unless you're certain of what they are. And keep your antivirus software updated. Icons appear on screen to illustrate each piece of advice Rita lists. MOBY: Beep. RITA: Sure, go see who it is. Moby walks out of Rita's room while Rita stays at her desk and starts typing. She hears Moby open the door, and is startled by a loud crashing sound. Moby has smashed through Rita's bedroom wall and is dragging a large wooden horse behind him. MOBY: Beep. Rita takes off her glasses, pinches her nose, and sighs. RITA: Let's go over this one more time. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts